The Percy Hedley Foundation is celebrating three successful years of its employability initiative, Beyond, which helps young disabled people take their first steps into meaningful work.
Designed to support both students and adult service users, Beyond offers hands-on career experience and tailored support across a variety of sectors. Participants have worked with local employers including Newcastle Eagles, Eldon Square and Bellway Homes, gaining valuable skills, confidence and real-world opportunities along the way.
Another key partner in this journey has been strategic brand communications agency, Gardiner Richardson, who have worked closely with Percy Hedley students and adult learners to offer valuable insight into careers in the communications industry.
This has included working in partnership on a marketing campaign for Newcastle’s Grainger Market and most recently, collaborating on the creation of an Accessible Communications Guide, designed to support the communications industry in making content more accessible for all.
The guide was shaped by direct input from Percy Hedley service users with a range of disabilities, alongside wider research, making it a truly inclusive, user-informed resource for anyone looking to improve the accessibility of their content.
“Collaborating with employers like Gardiner Richardson has a powerful impact on our students and adult learners as they build their employability skills. This ongoing partnership has given them the chance to contribute meaningfully, boosting their confidence and sense of empowerment.
Kerry Robinson, Project Manager at Hedley’s Beyond
“The Accessible Communications Guide is a great example of the real difference our members at the Percy Hedley Foundation can make when supported by forward-thinking, inclusive employers.”
“Working alongside students at Percy Hedley has been such a positive experience for us as a business. It has been a collaboration in the truest sense of the word, allowing us to learn from each other. The students have gained an insight into the industry, and we’ve learnt so much about accessible communications from their lived experience.
Jen Hallam, Director at Gardiner Richardson
“If brands and communications aren’t accessible, people are excluded from the conversation. This is not only bad for business, but it makes our communities and conversations less rich and less diverse. We look forward to working on more projects with the team at Percy Hedley in the future.”
To download the Accessible Communications Guide, visit https://www.percyhedley.org.uk/get-involved/accessibility/
